As Thailand invests in its future air force, which includes 4+ generation JAS-39 C/D Gripen fighters and S340 AEW air control planes, it still needs to pay attention to its 18-plane supporting fleet of 1980s-era F-16A/B Block 15s. A September 2010 request would bring those aircraft near F-16C/D Block 50 standards via a mid-life upgrade, giving the RTAF a secondary fighter force with full day/night and adverse weather capabilities.

The entire ALE-50 system consists of a launcher and launch controller attached to one of the aircraft’s weapon pylons, containing one or more expendable towed decoys. These trail behind the aircraft when deployed, attracting radar-guided missiles to themselves instead. Each decoy and payout reel is delivered in a sealed canister, and has a 10-year shelf life.

In both flight tests and actual combat, the ALE-50 has successfully countered numerous live firings of both surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles. Deagel.com estimates the ALE-50 expendable decoys’ estimated value at $22,000 each – which is certainly a lot cheaper than a B-1 bomber. At least one US pilot who came home safe referred to the ALE-50 as “my little buddy” in a letter to Raytheon…

The BAe-146 is an elegant 4-engine regional jetliner, optimized for short haul or regional routes, and able to handle even short take-off or unimproved runways. It has a reputation for quiet operation, and a range of about 1,800 miles/ 2,900 km under good conditions. Almost 400 of these planes were built from 1983-2002, but it’s probably best known as the Royal Family’s “CC2″ VIP jet. The RAF will soon be ferrying troops and cargo with it as well; its 2 CC2s will be joined by a pair of converted BAe-146-200QCs, whose mission brief will include trips into Afghanistan.

Britain’s Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR) buy was prompted by pressure on its transport fleet. The RAF’s 7-plane C-130K Hercules fleet will be retired from use by the end of 2012. Bad timing, that, as Britain needs to remove its troops and equipment from Afghanistan. Worse, the RAF’s first Airbus A400M transports aren’t even scheduled for delivery until 2014, let alone operational use in combat zones. Enter the BAe-146M solution, which the firm began promoting at DSEi 2009…

Until and unless new fighters arrive, Switzerland is depending more and more heavily on its 33 Swiss Luftwaffe F/A-18C/D fighters (26 F/A-18Cs, 7 F/A-18D 2-seat), in order to handle air sovereignty and policing over the nation.

In order to keep them up to date, programs like “Upgrade 21″ and “Upgrade 25″ continue to add to their capabilities. Upgrade 21 included a successful trip to the USA, which allowed them to use American weapon ranges to test the integration of their new AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles with their existing Hornet fleet. Those will go well with Switzerland’s JHMCS helmet-mounted sights, which were also part of Upgrade 21. A December 2007 request to the US DSCA placed the total potential cost of Upgrade 25 Phase 1 at over $500 million. The Upgrade 25 request, subsequent political developments, and follow-on contracts include:

On Sept 27/06, the US DSCA (Defense Security Cooperation Agency) notified Congress of the Netherlands’ request for up to 9 of the newest CH-47F Chinook cargo helicopters in a country-specific CH-47F (NL) variant, complete with ACMS Block 6 cockpits and 18 T55-L-714A turbine engines. The Dutch were also looking to upgrade their 11 existing CH-47D Chinook Cargo Helicopters to the newer CH-47F configuration. If all options were exercised, the DSCA notification placed the contracts’ values at up to $652 million.

Early procurements are going to be a bit more modest, but at least the helicopters have finally begun to arrive, about 6 years later.

After decades as a largely unheralded workhorse, the distinctive, twin-rotor CH-47 Chinook medium-heavy lift helicopter has suddenly become the belle of the ball. Nations that have them are keeping them, and upgrading them. Boeing’s main customers in the US military plan to keep versions of the CH-47 in service past 2030. Nations that don’t have Chinooks, want them; but like a Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle Fat Boy, those who step up to buy one know that second hand models aren’t exactly plentiful – and if you want new, you’ll probably have to wait a bit.

“In 2001, Elbit Systems began work under contracts for the Brazilian F-5 Aircraft Modernization Program. The program calls for the upgrade of 46 F-5 aircraft for the Brazilian Air Force. Our contracts for the program are with Embraer and the Brazilian Government, with a total value of approximately $230 million to be performed over an eight-year period. The contract with Embraer provides for an avionics upgrade, which includes an EW suite, mission computers, helmet mounted system, radar, displays and other avionics products. Delivery of production aircraft began in 2005. In January 2007, Elbit Systems was awarded an additional order to integrate further advanced capabilities in the F-5 aircraft. The contract with the Brazilian Government covers a logistic support program including establishment of an in-country maintenance center based at AEL.”

In late November 2011, South Korea’s left-wing Hankyoreh newspaper reports that a combination of unauthorized examination of an F-15K’s Lockheed Martin “Tiger Eyes” IRST(InfraRed Search and Track) sensor, and concerns that a number of South Korean products contain copied technologies, have halted “strategic weapons exports” from the USA to South Korea. That reportedly includes the proposed RQ-4B Global Hawk deal.

The United Arab Emirates is best known for its city of Dubai, an ultra-modern port city that has become the trading and commercial hub of the Middle East. As a May 2005 article in National Defense Magazine notes, however, it has also acquired a reputation for a strong and respected military procurement system.

One of their current initiatives involves the Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopters the country acquired in 1991 and 1994. The plan involves remanufacture and modernization of 30 AH-64A aircraft to the current AH-64D Longbow Block II standard. Deliveries to the UAE were scheduled to begin in May 2008 and continue through November 2009, with support activities continuing through November 2010. Ancillary equipment requests also come with that effort. DID presents a timeline that extends back to the original 2002 DSCA announcement.

The US military has been conducting a pair of competitions for defensive warning systems to equip its helicopters and transports. The Army’s CIRCM remains a hot competition as of July 2011, but the US Navy and Marines have picked their winner for the Joint and Allied Threat Awareness System (JATAS).